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Having the right keyboard makes or breaks an office or gaming room setup. Most people need their boards to be capable of at least a couple of different functions, whether they be gaming, writing, creative work, or generic office things. In many instances, you can walk into an electronics store (or drum up an e-retailer) and get the ideal keyboard for your needs within minutes.
But sometimes you need a little bit more customization than those keyboards offer. Maybe you have a niche set of needs, or maybe you're just somewhat of a keyboard enthusiast. This is where the appeal of hot-swappable keyboards comes in. With these types of keyboards, like the new Cooler Master MK770 Hybrid Wireless Keyboard, switches (the mechanisms in each key) are designed for easy exchanging. The Cooler Master MK770 is reported to be a versatile, comfortable keyboard that delivers quiet and dynamic performance. Game Rat put this new keyboard to the test to find out if it has a place on the desk of someone who writes, games, and edits photos and video all in the same day.
Cooler Master MK770
- Backlight
- RGB
- Supported operating systems
- Windows 8+, MacOS X 10.10+, Android, iOS
- Battery capacity
- 4,000mAh
- Connectivity
- Wired, 2.4GHz, Bluetooth 5.1
- Weight
- 1,052g/2.32lbs
- Number of Keys
- 98 (ANSI), 99 (ISO)
- Brand
- Cooler Master
- Ultra-durable PBT plastic caps
- Pair with up to three devices
- Support software is Windows only
What's in the box?
The Cooler Master MK770 comes with a quick start guide, a 2.4GHz dongle, an extension adapter, a keycap/switch remover, eight spare keys (which are Cherry MX Green switches, and not the red Kailh Box V2 switches used on the board), and lastly a USB-C to USB-A cable for charging or wired use.
Design and features
The Cooler Master MK770 comes in a compact TKL, sort of stocky form 95% factor. It's visually sharp, but a little blocky in profile. The keyboard housing is made of ABS plastic, while the key caps themselves are a hardier PBT plastic to hold up against wear. Despite the plastic shell and reduced form factor, the superb build quality is worth noting. Cooler Master appeals to two very different aesthetics with this one's color scheme offerings: gray and black with purple accents, or a vibrant sherbert-esque rainbow of pastel pinks, oranges, and greenish colors (macaroon is what they call that one's theme).
In terms of bells and whistles, the MK770 likes to keep things streamlined, fairly basic and an absent M key suite or diversified media knobs. This, however, is not a gaming-dedicated keyboard, and Cooler Master does accommodate by offering a few pre-configured mappings, using the Cooler Master key, for basic media controls like skipping tracks or pressing pause.
There's a number pad on the right, and a media/volume wheel in the top right corner — not much deviance from a standard office keyboard in terms of tactile controls. The media wheel can be pressed to mute, or remapped within the Cooler Master software. There are pegs for angling the keyboard, under one of which the wireless dongle can be tucked away for safe keeping. An island on the top-right edge of the keyboard contains a USB-C port for wired connection or charging, as well as a toggle for choosing connection options. There's also, of course, RGB lighting throughout.
Connectivity and the Cooler Master+ Software
For gamers who prefer a wired connection with their keyboards, the 2.4GHz wireless dongle gets the job done here, with only minor issues, ensuring the MK770 is able to switch between general office productivity and PC gaming with no pitfalls in performance. Bluetooth connectivity pretty much decimates the polling rate, as expected, and while this was fine for non-gaming related tasks like writing, the team here found that the MK770 struggled a little on demanding first person shooter tests when connected via Bluetooth. Bluetooth also drained the battery faster than the 2.4GHz wireless connection.
Cooler Master's support software is okay. While it has vastly improved in recent years, users will still struggle with getting the freshly-downloaded MasterPlus program to acknowledge the MK770. One solution found by the team was to uninstall the software and try again for the keyboard to be recognized. Once connected, the MK770 worked seamlessly with MasterPlus. There's the standard lighting customizations and effects, key binding, and custom mapping. MasterPlus' system-wide temperature monitoring is a plus, but there's just something missing from the program's UI, which doesn't quite flow as right as SteelSeries' Engine or Razer's Synapse. MasterPlus isn't available on MacOS, which kind of negates the claim that this is a keyboard for all sorts of users, with many non-gamer shoppers being Mac users.
Comfort and performance
One initial observation about this keyboard stood out, and that's that the Cooler Master MK770 is remarkably quiet. This keyboard uses silicon dampers to take that ticky-tacky-clickety-clackety sound down to a quieter, softer, more subdued feedback.
Ergonomically speaking, the MK770 achieves perfect comfort levels. Its feet offer three height angles — completely flat, a steeper angle, and then a middle ground between the two — and it was that half-way propped level that felt like the ideal during Game ZXC's tests. Even moving to this 95% form factor from a full-sized keyboard, the keys were comfortably spaced that there wasn't any haltering in the adjustment. The double-shot PBT key caps aren't exactly the centerpiece of this keyboard, but they offer a nice texture for gripping without becoming too sticky.
The performance of the 4,000mAh battery meets expectations. Battery longevity varies widely, based on daily use, use case, and RGB lighting brightness. Starting from fully charged, we cranked the RGB lights up and used the MK770 as a daily driver for everything and had to plug the keyboard in for a charge after about 16 days.
Related products and competition
Cooler Master certainly faces some competition in the hot-swappable keyboard department. The Epomaker Theory TH80 takes customization to the next level with module building in nearly every aspect... but its battery is smaller than the MK770's, and it slashes the form factor by 20%. An excellent budget-friendly hot-swappable keyboard for beginners is the Royal Kludge RK61, a wired compact tenkeyless keyboard that sacrifices some features like single-key RGB customization but can be modified to fit most any swappable keys.
There's an option for a hot-swappable keyboard from Logitech, too, if users want to go for something with a bit more refined support software. The Logtiech G Pro X is a tenkeyless compact board with high customizability offerings for a competitive price.
Related Products | |
|---|---|
Epomaker Theory TH80 | |
RK Royal Kludge RK 61 | |
Logitech G Pro X | |
Closing thoughts: Should you buy the Cooler Master MK770 Hybrid Wireless Keyboard?
As a wireless keyboard, the MK770 performs exceptionally well. Its battery life is satisfactory, and the latency is unproblematic in any connectivity mode (for general purpose use). As a gaming keyboard, the MK770 performs well. Softer-sounding keystrokes are easier on the ears when there's key-mashing involved and versatile connection options suit varying latency needs, but the lack of M keys may disappoint some players. As a hot-swappable keyboard, the MK770 again performs exceptionally well. The keys are easy to remove (especially thanks to that XL puller) and replace, but even if you never get there, the Kailh V2 keys are durable and responsive enough to suit any office needs and meet the expectations of casual gamers.
The MK770 is an excellent buy at around $120. The build will last for years, you can put this keyboard to work in a variety of functions, the battery charges quickly, and there will hopefully be a robust update to MasterPlus software (fingers still crossed for open sourcing) coming soon. If you're a dynamic user who needs a multipurpose keyboard and has a casual interest in swapping out keys, look no further.
FAQ
Q: Are hot-swappable keyboards good for gaming?
Yes! With this style of keyboard, you can shop for form factor and not have to worry about if the included switches are ideal for your style of gaming. Just swap them out for something else if the switches don't work. You can even have multiple customized hot-swappable keyboards with different switches if you are a serious gamer that plays different types of games.
Q: Do I have to solder a hot-swappable keyboard?
That's the beauty of hot-swappable keyboards – no soldering necessary. Just be sure not to lose the included switch puller (they often look like big pairs of tweezers), as these are what you need to exchange switches.
Q: Which switches are best for gaming?
There are tons of options out there, and the right answer depends on your budget and your gaming style. Overall, we highly recommend the CHerry MX Reds for a well-rounded gaming experience no matter your game type. But the Kailh Speed Silvers are great for ultra-fast keystrokes, the Kailh Silent Pinks are the best quiet switches out htere, and the Gateron Yellow Pros are a nice budget-friendly option.